Sunday, December 28, 2014

May??!

May2014!! 

How could it possibly be MAY since I've been here....well, the post tells the tale unless someone has been deleting stuff on me....and no, I don't think they have. 

Suffice to say, it's been a very busy but fun year. Several things on my bucket list have been checked off in 2014, I'm happy to say. Good stuff and bad stuff. While it's still holiday weeks and I have a bit of time, I will try to expand on that in another post. 

At the moment, I'm prepping for CQJP 2015 (see blog badge), which I have signed up for and hope to be able to keep up with in 2015. That should be possible, as I have once again SEMI-retired. I've told my job that I would like my hours to be reduced to 3 days a week (from 5-6). It's time...after 51 years of retail, the extreme physical and mental stresses of the job are just not doable any more. Although my health is good and I keep active, lifting 50-60 lb on my own and pushing a dozen shopping carts is just not something I can do every day. So~keeping my fingers crossed I can do this without starving! 

Onward to CQJP 2015 and (some) time to play! *happydance*

Re CQJP....it is suggested that we do a theme for the monthly blocks we will be working on through 2015; mine are going to be truly a "journal" of my year. I plan to work on Dec 2014 in Jan 2015, Jan in Feb 2015 etc. So, my first block will be all about our very unusual December this year....it's Dec 28th and we're still green! No snow on the ground....BUT it is currently snowing lightly, and that looks like it might change quickly. 

Here is my first base block for January...unfinished and unembellished, but I wanted to have a pic from the start. It'll be all about grey days, early long dark nights (the Winter Solstice), and a bit of Christmas. 
The colour in this picture is a bit deceptive...the patterned fabric at the upper right and the plain one directly below it are both silvery greys; on my screen, they look quite yellow. 



My blocks, as you can see, will be octagons~I chose that shape as I think it will give me lots of flexibility to put them together when the time comes. 

Today, I'm hoping to get that outer chalk line hand basted, the block trimmed, and then I will be ready to go for January.